Title 1 Parent Policy

by Tessa Kuehn

February 14, 2011

Kenesaw Public School
Parental Involvement Policy

P.L. 103-382 affirms the principle that parental involvement is a vital part of the Title 1 program.

At the district level, it is the policy of Kenesaw Public School that parents of all participating children be given the opportunity to be involved in the joint development of the district’s plan and in the district’s review process for the purpose of school improvement. The district shall provide coordination, technical assistance and other necessary support in the planning and implementation of parent involvement activities. The district shall encourage parental involvement and support the partnership between the home, school, and community by providing understandable information about standards and assessments; providing training and materials for parents to help their children and to involve other parents; educating school personnel about involving parents and the value of parent contributions; and developing meaningful roles for community organizations and businesses to work with parents and schools. An annual evaluation of this parental involvement policy will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of this policy, the barriers of this policy for increasing parental involvement, and any necessary revisions of this policy:

It is the policy of Kenesaw Public School that:

1. This jointly developed, written policy and timeline of the school year’s parental involvement activities shall be distributed each fall to parents of participating Title 1 children.
2. An annual meeting shall be held, which is extended to all parents of participating children, both public and private. Additional parent meetings with flexible meeting times shall be held throughout the year as determined by parent interest and suggestions.
3. Parents shall be given assistance in understanding the requirements of the Title 1 law.
4. Parents shall be informed of the reasons for their child’s participation, the curriculum, and the instructional objectives and methods of the program. Parents shall be involved in the development of individual student programs.
5. Parents shall receive an explanation of the school’s performance profile, expected proficiency levels for students, and their child’s assessment results.
6. Parents shall receive timely responses to all parent recommendations through verbal and/or written responses. All information sent to parents shall be in the language used in the home.
7. Parents and school personnel shall jointly develop a compact that describes the school’s responsibility for providing a quality curriculum and instruction to enable parent’s and child’s responsibilities. The compact shall be discussed at parent /teacher conferences.
8. Student’s progress shall be reported to parents at parent/teacher conferences as well as frequent contacts which may include written notes, phone calls and home visits.
9. Parents are encouraged to communicate with school personnel, and Title 1 personnel shat be readily accessible to parents. Parents are welcome and encouraged to observe and participate in Title 1 activities which may include homework, field trips, classroom experiences, and computer assisted instruction. Opportunities shall be provided for all parents to participate in Title 1 activities.
10. The Title 1 program shall provide opportunities for parents to become partners with the school in promoting the education of their child at home and at school. Parents shall be given assistance in monitoring their child’s progress. The school shall provide assistance to parents on how they can participate in decisions related to their child’s education. The school shall provide reasonable support for parental involvement activities as requested by parents.
11. The school shall coordinate and integrate parental involvement programs and activities with other programs. Notice of activities with other programs shall be distributed through letters to parents, activity calendars, newsletters, etc.
12. Each spring, the Title 1 program shall assess and review, through consultation with parents, the effectiveness of the program and design strategies for school improvement. Opportunities will be given to parents to be involved in using these finding to plan, design, and implement the Title 1 program for the following year.